This invention relates to a technique for prompt recovery of image recording in an ink-jet recording apparatus even when there is non-ejection of ink from an ejection nozzle of a recording head.
Conventional ink-jet recording apparatus are known to be provided with an ink supply system. That is, an ink-jet recording apparatus of this type includes a carriage that mounts a recording head which ejects ink from ejection nozzles to perform recording on a recording medium, and main tanks that store ink to be supplied to sub-tanks provided on the recording head. When there is a decrease in the ink in the sub-tanks, ink is supplied from the main tanks to the sub-tanks.
Such an ink-jet recording apparatus performs recovery operation in the case of non-ejection of ink from an ejection nozzle of the recording head.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-285422, for example, discloses an ink-jet recording apparatus as above that includes two separate ejection nozzle groups in a recording head and allows the image recording either in a normal image quality mode or in a high image quality mode. One of the two ejection nozzle groups corresponds to a BCMY color system, and the other corresponds to a RGB color system.